Deltaterrasserne ("Delta Terraces") is a pre-

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

occupation archaeological site located near the head of

Jørgen Brønlund Fjord Jørgen Brønlund Fjord or Bronlund Fjord is a fjord in southern Peary Land, northern Greenland. It was named after polar explorer Jørgen Brønlund by the Danmark expedition. Geography It runs roughly from NW to SE with its mouth located at t ...

on the

Peary Land Peary Land is a peninsula in northern Greenland, extending into the Arctic Ocean. It reaches from Victoria Fjord in the west to Independence Fjord in the south and southeast, and to the Arctic Ocean in the north, with Cape Morris Jesup, the nort ...

peninsula in northern

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

. It is one of the largest archaeological sites in Peary Land, and was discovered in September 1948 by the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

and archaeologist

Eigil Knuth Count Eigil Knuth (8 August 1903 – 12 March 1996) was a Danish explorer, archaeologist, sculptor and writer. He is referred to as the Nestor ("elder statesman") of Danish polar explorers. His archaeological investigations were made in P ...

during the second summer of the Danish Pearyland Expedition. Occupied during the period of 2,050–1,750 BC, the site contains features of Independence I and Independence II cultures.

Function and construction

Deltaterrasserne was constructed of large, terraced stones, ranging from to above sea level. Knuth named the site's ruins and caches in order of their descending elevation. These are scattered over of beach terraces in a multicomponent campsite. The highest of the terrace sites is named Terrace A. Its three ruins contain tent rings, central hearth, charcoal, and a gravel berm periphery, along with a meat

cache Cache, caching, or caché may refer to: Places United States * Cache, Idaho, an unincorporated community * Cache, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Cache, Oklahoma, a city in Comanche County * Cache, Utah, Cache County, Utah * Cache County ...

. Terrace B is located most centrally within the site and also has the most features, including open-air box hearths and dwellings. Terrace C contains only one feature, a cache with a paved lower floor. Terrace D contains caches, dwellings, and an open-air hearth. Terrace E is the lowest of the terraced ruins and features a Stone Age tent ring. A striking resemblance has been noted between the Deltaterrasserne dwellings with those from northern Eurasia.

Artifacts

Hundreds of organic, faunal, and lithic artifacts were recovered. Organic artifacts included items such as axes, charred

driftwood __NOTOC__ Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves. In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides shelter and fo ...

, pointed sticks, pins, and birch bark rolls. Faunal artifacts included bird, fish, and mammalian remains. Lithic artifacts include burin spalls.Grønnow, pp. 126 The most common artifacts were microblades, burins,

flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and sta ...

flakers, and bone needles. Some needles exhibited rectangular eyeholes, typical of

Independence II culture Independence II was a Paleo-Eskimo culture that flourished in northern and northeastern Greenland from around 700 to 80 BC, north and south of the Independence Fjord. The Independence II culture existed in roughly the same areas of Greenland as t ...

, while others had round eyeholes, typical of

Independence I culture Independence I was a culture of Paleo-Eskimos who lived in northern Greenland and the Canadian Arctic between 2400 and 1900 BC. There has been much debate among scholars on when Independence I culture disappeared, and, therefore, there is a margin ...

. Found at Terrace B was a side prong fragment for a

leister A leister is a type of spear used for spearfishing. Leisters are three-pronged with backward-facing barbs, historically often built using materials such as bone and ivory, with tools such as the saw-knife. In many cases it could be disassembled ...

or bird dart.Grønnow, pp. 130-131

References

{{Coord, 82, 07, 30, N, 29, 53, 18, W, display=title Archaeological sites in Greenland Former populated places in Greenland Prehistory of the Arctic